Today’s Meditation

Job said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.”

Job 19:2526 (NIV)

“It’s just that I’m afraid of dying,” my mother said, lying in her hospital bed. She had rarely spoken since this latest hospital admission, one of many in the past two years that had seen a steady decline in her physical and mental state. Most of the time it was as if she lived in a place I wasn’t allowed to enter. As I heard those words, my first instinct was to reassure her that she wasn’t dying. Yet looking down at her shrunken body, I realized that she was. As she made eye contact with me, it was as if the curtain between us lifted briefly. I felt that when I spoke she would not only hear but understand.

“Don’t be afraid, Mom. When you die you’ll be with God, and it will be wonderful,” I told her.

She died a few weeks later, and I was glad we had shared that special moment. Watching the slow deterioration of her body and mind had made me aware of my own mortality. I faced the truth that our earthly bodies are only temporary dwellings. We can’t know exactly what will happen when we die, but we do know one thing: We’ll be with God, and it will be wonderful!

Debbie Kolacki

(New York, USA)

Thought for the Day: Even though we don’t know the details, we do know that death is the door into God’s everlasting presence.

Prayer: Loving God, teach us to focus on the joy of your presence now. Then accept our gratitude for the everlasting joy we will have in eternity with you. Amen.